MIAMI – Marcus Camby said he has no qualms about sitting against the Heat Tuesday night, but doesn’t agree with the notion that he doesn’t match up well against the league’s more physical forwards.

“I think I can play against anybody in this league,” Camby said after yesterday’s two-hour practice in Miami. “If I wasn’t a player, [the Knicks] wouldn’t have brought me here. I definitely feel comfortable going out and playing against anyone in this league.”

Camby, the slender 6-11 forward obtained in an off-season trade with Toronto for the popular Charles Oakley, did not play against the Heat as coach Jeff Van Gundy elected to stay with a more physical lineup. Van Gundy used Kurt Thomas for 38 minutes and summoned only Chris Dudley off the bench for front-line support.

“I liked how we were playing,” Van Gundy said. “I liked how we had a physical presence inside. I was ready to play guys big minutes in that game because I think that game can get away from you quickly. I thought on the road, we had been playing maybe too many guys where it was causing droughts.”

Van Gundy said Camby is a tough matchup against physical players like Shawn Kemp of Cleveland.

“I think there are certain matchups that are good for him,” Van Gundy said. “But I don’t think a Shawn Kemp matchup is good for him. [Camby] is really good mentally. He’s attentive and he retains things. But physically, there’s a strength factor at that position that at times is overwhelming. Some of those guys are unbelievably strong.”

Van Gundy said he felt no need to make sure Camby understands why he didn’t play.

“If it serves him best to help him play his best to explain then I would,” Van Gundy said. “But I don’t think after every game you have to tell everybody why they played X amount of minutes or didn’t play X amount of minutes. I’ve talked to him enough that he knows he has got a big role. We didn’t trade a starter to not have him play a big role. But that doesn’t mean in every game his minutes are going to be the same.”

Camby, who had averaged 20 minutes of playing time over the previous 12 games, could see his playing time diminish on a consistent basis now that Latrell Sprewell has been activated. It leaves Camby and Dennis Scott the odd men out of an eight-man rotation.

‘I just have to be patient,” Camby said. “The guys had a nice rhythm the other night. I was just cheering and hoping for the win.”